


Golden Flower

by Tsukiya



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Ardyn is Prompto's 'Father', Doesn't follow the exact plot of Tangled, Falling In Love, Fluff, General idea of Tangled in the FFXV universe, I don't know what else to tag this, In a world where Niflheim isn't at war with everyone and there's peace, Inspired by Tangled (2010), Long Lost Prince, M/M, Magical healer Prompto, More tags probably to be added in time, Noctis is alone and very broke living off of bounty hunt money, Not set in a medeival time period, Pauper Prince, Prince Prompto Argentum, Prompto doesn't have long hair like Rapunzel, Prompto is an innocent sunshine boy, Runaway Prince Noctis, Tangled AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-04-13 15:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 12,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14115693
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsukiya/pseuds/Tsukiya
Summary: Many a year ago, the Emperor and Empress of Niflheim had a baby boy, a prince. The Empress, who was ill at the time of her pregnancy, sought the aid of a rumoured magical golden flower that had the ability to heal the sick and injured. The magic of the flower healed the Empress and unknown to them, their son, Prompto, was born with its powers. But their happiness would not last. Ardyn Izunia, who was hoarding the flower's power to himself to stay immortal, broke into the palace and stole away the infant prince. Years passed and each year on his birthday, the nations across Eos, the Empire of Niflheim, Kingdoms of Lucis and Tenebrae, and Accordo would set off fireworks in his memory and in hopes that one day, the lost prince would return. Now nearly 20 years of age, the sunny prince grew up knowing his kidnapper as his father, but his whole world was soon to change when the runaway Prince of Lucis happens upon him.





	1. The Pauper Prince

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This is my first time writing any form of fanfiction but I absolutely adore FFXV and as you can guess, Noctis and Prompto. I've been seeing a few fanfics and Disney AUs for FFXV but I haven't seen a Tangled one as of yet, so I decided to write one myself, since I love it and it's my favorite Disney movie. Granted, this story isn't going to be exactly like the movie, it just follows general plot points and borrows some elements of Tangled with a spin on it, in the FFXV universe. Except there's no war and Prompto isn't a clone, he's the prince of Nifleheim. Anyways, this is going to be a long one so I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it.

 

* * *

 

 

Nighttime was descending on the region of Cleigne and the Lucian prince found himself in the sweltering hot town of Lestallum that evening, rummaging through his wallet for gil. He hadn't planned his getaway from Insomnia well at all and now he was feeling the consequences of his ill-preparedness. One of the first things anyone would think to bring with them when running away from home would be money, but the thought hadn't crossed the royal's mind. Rarely did he ever actually have to purchase anything for himself back in the crown city, and it was only when he had reached Hammerhead did he realize his mistake.

Leaving the city and travelling around Lucis on foot was highly out of the question, and so he had absconded with the expensive sports car his father had given him for his twentieth birthday, the Star of Lucis.

Unfortunately the Star wasn't accustomed to driving on the bumpy and desperately-in-need-of-repair roads that led out of the city and upon driving over a particularly bad pot-hole one of the tires had burst, leaving the frustrated prince to have to push the vehicle the rest of the distance to the nearest garage. Once arriving at Hammerhead, sweating and irritable from his misfortune thus far, Noctis had come to realize that his wallet housed only a bank card and credit card, no cash whatsoever. Apparently outside of Insomnia, everyone used cash to pay for everything and thus his cards were rendered absolutely useless, not a single ATM in sight. In the bustling metropolis that was his home, there was technology everywhere and most stores accepted cards, so he never saw the need to carry around change – until he left. Thankfully Cindy, the mechanic working at the garage, had been lenient enough to tend to his car in exchange for hunting down some reapertails Cid wanted taken care of. 

This was how Noctis had come to finance himself, doing bounty hunts from tipsters across Lucis for the hunter organization. They were always fairly simple, killing small packs of unruly creatures or disposing of daemons that appeared at night, and paid pretty well. It was a shame the prince was simply bad with saving his money. He never seemed to have enough and was always scrounging by to afford a hotel room, but he would put up with it. He'd rather not return to Insomnia with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

This was the choice he had made, to leave his home behind. He wasn't ready to nor wanted to be the future ruler of a nation. Often he wished he had a normal life, calm, and free of the tremendous responsibilities that came with being the only heir of a royal family. This desire is what lead him to leave his home and set out on his own. Of course one day he would have to return to the city but he would indulge in the freedom he had for now.

Thankfully he wasn't very well known outside of Insomnia and hadn't run into many people who knew his identity, despite the 'missing' posters that have been spreading throughout the kingdom.

 

_'Missing: Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum. 20 years old, Caucasian, thin build, black hair, blue eyes. Last seen at the gates leaving Insomnia in a black custom-made sports car, The Star of Lucis. If you have seen him or know his whereabouts, please contact the number below. 200,000 gil Reward.'_

 

Noctis' heart ached a tiny bit every time he saw one of the posters, thinking of how worried his father must be due to his disappearance, but he pushed the thought out of his mind. He had made the conscious decision to bring fairly unassuming casual clothing with him and a hat. It wasn't much of a disguise but it was good enough, all he had to do was avoid the Kingsglaive soldiers stationed across the nation in search of their runaway prince, or anyone trying to claim the reward money.

To his surprise and equal part confusion though, for some reason every single missing poster featured a drawing of the prince instead of an actual photograph. Had it truly been so long since he last had a photograph taken that they had needed to resort to drawings? Yet, this worked out in his favor, given that every single poster looked different, as if each one was drawn instead of photocopied, which also confused him.

“Ugh,” he had groaned one day, ripping down one of the posters from the wall it was stuck upon at an outpost. “They just can't get my hair right...” Every single poster featured a different hairstyle than the one he frequently sported but everything else about the portrait was exactly accurate, as if the artist simply grew bored and decided to draw whatever hairstyle they pleased rather than the accurate description. That, or his father was exceedingly horrible at giving descriptions of his son's hair. The poster he had ripped down had his hair parted to one side, long bangs swooping across his forehead and reaching down to his chin on one side of his face. Completely inaccurate. Did they think he was some sort of emo kid?

An annoyed groan left his lips as he finished counting the gil in his wallet. _290 gil_. “Dammit...,” he cursed under his breath, dropping the money back into his wallet. He hadn't been paying attention to how much he was spending that day at all. His last hunt had earned him quite a bit of gil and he'd promptly spent a majority of it treating himself to a meal at Galdin Quay and buying a new fishing rod.

_Of course, just had to be 10 gil short. Better take another bounty hunt before bed._

Making his way to one of the restaurants in town, he happened upon an area he had never ventured near before, a result of getting lost in the many alleyways of Lestallum. Who designed this place and why did it have so many alleyways and dead ends? That was when a conversation on the other side of a nearby window caught the prince's ear.

“It's still out there, just waiting to be found,” came one gravelly voice followed by another clearer voice of another man. “Goin' on about Ravatogh again?” Curiosity took hold of the raven-haired boy as he silently drew closer to the window, eavesdropping on the two men on the inside of the building. This could be his lucky break if they were talking about what he suspected they were talking about. He leaned in closer as the two men continued on, wondering what information he could glean from them.

“All these years an' ya still can't give up,” the second man continued on. “I've long given up, don't you worry,” the first man retorted, “It's just, when I gaze at the mountain...” He trailed off as the other voiced pitched in once more to finish the former's thought, “You're reminded of the big haul.” The raspy voice spoke once more in what seemed like wistful longing,“If only I'd come back with it. I woulda gone down in history.” _Bingo_. This was exactly what Noctis was hoping to hear. There was some sort of treasure out there, in Ravatogh in fact, just waiting to be found, and his wallet could certainly use the extra gil from a treasure hunt.

Drawing back from the window, an excited grin spread across the prince's lips as he made his way down the staircase by the window, heading back in the direction of his car parked in the parking lot.

 _Big haul, here I come!_  

Once inside his car, he brought the engine to life and turned his AC on in hopes of cooling down from the humid heat just outside, tugging at his shirt in an attempt to cool his sweaty skin beneath. Someone near the Rock of Ravatogh had to have heard of something relating to what the two mystery men were talking about. Pulling out the map of Lucis from the glove compartment, he opened it and located the mountain on it. It seemed there was an outpost near the Ravatogh volcano. That was as good as any place to start. Surely the people there would have some information that could help him locate the treasure.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was very late at night by the time he pulled into the gas station at Verinas Mart. It was a 2 hour drive from Lestallum and his weary eyes were begging to be shut for a couple of hours. Sleep was definitely calling the prince's name. As much as he preferred the luxury and comfort of a hotel room, it seemed an RV would have to suffice for tonight. 30 gil was much more affordable for the penniless prince at the moment. Before he would give in to sleep though, he had to ask the people at the small outpost about what he heard.

A loud yawn left his mouth as he stretched his arms out, stepping out of the driver's seat of his car. The sooner he got the information, the sooner he could collapse onto the cheap mattress of the RV nearby. Closing the car door behind him, he walked over to the food stall outside of the store. If anyone had information around here, it would surely be the tipster. It was a wonder that anyone was still awake at this late hour, and working no less. But he supposed they had to be in case any travellers, such as himself, needed their aid.

“Hey,” Noctis greeted the elderly man with a tired smile, which gave the man a little chuckle as he returned a smile of his own. “Welcome, son. What can I do for ya?”

Honestly, he hadn't thought about how he would approach this topic. How many people came asking about a mysterious unknown treasure that they heard some thieves mention when they eavesdropped on their conversation? “Er..” It took a moment of thinking before Noctis could properly put together his question. “I was in Lestallum and I...overheard from some guys there talking about some sort of treasure out by Ravatogh. Do you know anything about that or where I could start looking?”

The old man raised an eyebrow at the question, “A treasure, huh? That's the first I've ever heard of it.” Noctis almost let out a disappointed sigh at the man's words, his smile dropping a bit. If not even a tipster who knew everything about the immediate vicinity knew about this rumoured treasure, then how was he supposed to find it? He supposed it was to be expected. If more people knew about this treasure then it was bound to be long gone by now; the fact that he hadn't heard of it before probably meant that not many others had either and it was still waiting around for someone to find and collect it. However, he wasn't about to search the entire area for a treasure he knew nothing about, but the man's next words brought back a little spark of hope to the prince's expression.

“But there are these ancient ruins just north of here. Heard it used to be part of Solheim, that ancient civilization from 2000 years ago. Apparently is was used as some sort of training ground. Don't know much else about it 'cept from that but that's the best place I can think of a treasure being. I can mark it on a map for ya if you've got one.”

Ancient ruins? That smelled like treasure to him alright. There was bound to be all sort of valuable things there if not a treasure. It would be worth investigating at least. “Yeah, I've got one.” Noctis pulled the folded map out of his pocket and handed it to the tipster, flashing a small thankful smile at the man who took the map from the prince's hands and circled a seemingly empty rocky area northwest of their current location. Once he finished and returned the pen he marked the map with to a pocket in the apron tied around his waist, he handed Noctis the map. “There ya go. Good luck treasure hunting, boy.”

Noctis took the map with a smile, looking at the area marked on it briefly before returning his gaze to the elder man. “Thanks for the help.” The man gave him a nod and waved his hand as he spoke, “Not a problem. Come again soon.” Returning the man's nod, he placed the map back into the pocket of his Leviathan jacket and turned, going into the small store right behind the food stall to pay the woman the counter the 30 gil for his lodgings for the night. Once paid, he headed for the caravan close by and opened the windowed door, stepping inside. It was time for some shut-eye.

Once inside the caravan, Noctis wasted no time in kicking off his shoes and going over to the bed, flopping down face-first on top of it with an exhausted groan, the bed creaking beneath the weight of his impact. His face was comfortably buried in one of the soft pillows on the bed and he sighed as he rolled onto his back and sat up. Noctis stuck his hand in his jacket pocket to retrieve the map once more, unfolding it. Azure eyes landed upon the marked location on the map and dark brows furrowed.

_How the hell am I supposed to get there? I'd have to fly or something._

The Star was definitely not mean for off-road driving and there was no way it was going to scale the giant rocks around that area. He'd have to head back to Hammerhead in the morning and ask Cindy if she had anything at the garage that could make a trip like that. But right now it was time for bed. Noctis folded the map back up and set it down on the bedside table before shrugging the jacket off his shoulder, tossing it carelessly onto the floor. Pulling the thin bedsheets over himself, he settled comfortably into the bed and let out a long yawn. Barely a minute later sleep had taken hold of him and he was sleeping peacefully.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The following morning Noctis awoke close to noon, having stayed up so late chasing information on the treasure of Ravatogh. Soon after he got his things together, pulled back on his jacket, and fixed his hair with the can of hairspray he thankfully had brought with him from Insomnia, the prince left his lodgings. His stomach growled loudly. He hadn't eaten since before he left Lestallum last night and now his stomach was begging for some food.

Noctis sighed from his lack of money, unable to purchase a meal from the diner nearby. At least he still had some cup noodles stashed in his car that he could eat before setting out. Ignis would be appalled at his diet, but there wasn't much he could do about it. This way at least he didn't have to eat vegetables.

Once his miserable breakfast was eaten, he tossed the empty noodle cup in a trash can and returned to his car to make the long drive to Hammerhead garage back in Leide.

Long drives weren't all that bad. Sure, his butt was numb and he was sore from sitting for hours on end driving from one side of the country to the next, but it was also peaceful, driving along listening to music and seeing the beautiful scenery Lucis had to offer – scenery he never had the chance to gaze upon before his departure from the crown city. Seeing new sights wasn't a regular occurrence in the city he grew up in and knew all too well.

A couple hours later, the black luxury vehicle pulled into the parking spot at Hammerhead garage, in desperate need of a car wash. The drastically different climates of Duscae and Leide were the perfect demise for a clean car. Heavy rainfall followed by blinding sandstorms.

Noctis sighed as he exited his car to see the state it was in. Dirt and sand clung to every inch of the vehicle thanks to the rain he had driven through and the car was now closer in color to brown than black. Great, if he didn't want to pay for Cindy to wash it, he'd have to clean it himself.

“Goodness, she's a right mess!” came the familiar southern female voice right on queue. Noctis turned to face the blonde mechanic as she walked over to the car, shaking her head with a smile. “Guess it can't be helped, with the weather an' all.”

Royal blue eyes averted away awkwardly as she spoke. “Yeah...Looks like it's another thing I'm gonna have to ask you for,” he paused as he looked towards her once more, “If you don't mind, that is.”

He would lean against his car if it weren't for the dirt, but he didn't want to risk getting his clothes dirty already.

Laundry had been a rather... _interesting_ task for him. If he could avoid washing his clothes for as long as possible, then he would. He'd never had to work a washer or dryer before in his life, normally done by a maid at the citadel or his retainer, Ignis, and it had been quite the experience the first time he attempted using one in Lestallum. At first he hadn't been sure which one was the dryer and which was the washing machine, until he had put his clothes in the dryer and they had shrunk quite a bit as a result, no less dirty. After that, the next hurdle was figuring out that detergent was actually required to clean his clothes; water alone did not do much, especially for the smell. Once he managed to purchase some, it had been very embarrassing standing at the laundromat attempting to figure out where the detergent went while a group of women also doing laundry snickered at his cluelessness. One of them eventually had come over to aid him which made his dignity plummet even further, leaving him extremely embarrassed and feeling foolish. He made sure no such incidents ever repeated themselves since.

Cindy smiled, tilting her head to the side slightly. “'Course not. I'll have 'er lookin' brand new again in no time, don't you worry. Can't keep such a nice car lookin' like that.” Noctis smiled thankfully at her with a small nod. Of course he would have to _pay_ her for washing his car, but it wouldn't be too much of a loss, especially once he sold off the treasure. “What else were ya gonna ask me for?”

“Right.” Taking the map out of his pocket, Noctis unfolded it and pointed towards the marked area on the left side near the volcano. “I have to go here,” he paused as his pale finger moved downward slightly, tapping on a rocky area slightly below the marker, “but there's these huge rocks blocking the way and my car can't make that trip. I can't climb them either. There's no way to get around them. So, I was wondering if you had anything that could go over them?”

A dark eyebrow raised in surprise when his eyes returned to the mechanic's face to see the wide grin on her face, eyes alight with excitement. He hadn't been expecting that reaction from her at all. In actuality, he hadn't been very hopeful at all that she would be able to help him with the dilemma, but it was worth the shot. It seemed he was mistaken.

“Well ain't you a lucky one! I've got just the thing!” She was positively beaming as she spoke, apparently eager to help him. “Haven't had the chance to use this thing yet, so I guess we're both lucky.”

At this point Noctis was a little confused, returning the map to his pocket as he blinked a few times in confusion, looking at her with partial concern. “Huh? Use what..?”

“A while back some hunters brought me this strange engine. Didn't know what it was for right away but after a lil' tinkerin' 'round I found out. This baby'll fix yer problem.” Cindy put one hand on her hip and the other under her chin as she gazed towards the prince's car in question. “'Cept...I'll need yer permission to install it in your car...”

At this point he was completely lost. How was some 'strange engine' supposed to help him? But if Cindy thought it would help him get over those rocks then he would trust her judgement and take her help. She was the mechanical genius after all, not him. He couldn't replace a flat tire if he tried let alone install an engine. “Uh...sure, why not.” He said after a moment, giving a shrug. With Cindy's apparent love of his car, there was no need to worry about her doing something horrible to it.

The blonde's smile only grew at his answer, clapping her hands together with excitement. “Okay! Give me a little alone time with 'er and yer gonna be able to go wherever ya want. Once I'm done installin' it, you ain't gonna recognize her.”

Uh oh, on second thought maybe this wasn't a good idea? But if it was going to get him over those rocks and to the treasure then he'd have to deal with some aesthetic changes for now. Surely it wouldn't be a bad change. Cindy didn't seem like she'd willingly or knowingly ruin a beautiful expensive car.

He supplied the mechanic with a nod of his head and took the keys for the Star out of his pocket, handing them to her. No sooner did they leave his hand was she already crawling into the driver seat of the car to move it into the garage. Whatever she was going to do to the car, she was amped-up to do it.

Nothing to do now but wait, and that meant it was time to play King Knight on his phone. Retreating from the harsh afternoon sun, Noctis took a seat in one of the two lounge chairs right outside the garage under a large umbrella, Cindy's grandfather, Cid, occupying the other seat. The elderly man gave a nod of greeting in his direction, which Noctis returned politely.

Their relationship was an odd one; one of tough love and mild criticism on Cid's part which Noctis tended to ignore in his stubbornness. Cid was also one of the few people outside the city who knew the royal's identity, yet much to Noctis' thanks, he showed no interest in alerting the Kingsglaive or his father to the missing prince's whereabouts. Despite the old man being seemingly bad-tempered and unfriendly, he was never unkind towards Noctis, offering to upgrade the prince's weapons on several occasions if he brought him the required parts. Noctis mostly suspected it was out of boredom but was thankful nonetheless. This was how the two were.

Removing his phone from his pocket, Noctis reclined back in the chair, turning his attention towards the device's screen and opening the game that served as his favorite pastime. He had long ago turned off the cellular service on his phone excluding the data so he could play games that required internet, as well as deleting any applications that his friends back in Insomnia could attempt to message him through. While he did feel a little guilty for leaving Ignis and Gladiolus behind, he new they would have never let him go through with his plan and urge him to return to the city and his duties. He would avoid such things as long as he could if he had his way.

Playing Kings Knight was the perfect mind-numbing distraction from his thoughts, focusing only on the game and fighting enemies until the rev of a car's engine broke his concentration. Blue eyes raised from the phone's screen just in time to see an unfamiliar car pull out of the garage next to his sitting area.

 _She wasn't kidding when she said I wouldn't recognize it!_ What had she done to the Star of Lucis? What required so much structural changes? Wasn't she just installing an _engine_?

Noctis blinked a few times as his mouth went agape in shock at the sight of his car. It didn't look bad in the slightest, but it was hard to believe that the vehicle before him was in fact _his_ car. Cindy's talents were wasted out here in the middle of nowhere, there were mechanics in Insomnia who would be jealous of such a transformation – and in such little time too! She had even washed the car for him on top of everything else.

“Whoa!” He exclaimed, pocketing his phone and getting up from his seat, walking over to the altered Star.

Cindy stuck her head out of the rolled-down window of the driver's seat, resting her arm on the car door. She looked out of place in the dark souped-up car. “Well, here she is!” Turning off the engine and exiting the vehicle, she dropped the keys into Noctis' hand with a smile, clearly proud of her work. Noctis was more than a little worried for his wallet. Modifications like these probably cost a fortune, which he currently didn't have access to.

She gave the fretting prince a pat on the back as he continued to stand there dumbfounded. “Off you go now! I reckon you'll be seein' the world from a brand-new point-a-view.”

 _Wait. What?_ No, she couldn't possibly mean...

Noctis' eyes widened at her words before he quickly threw open the driver door and dropped down into the seat, examining the new interior of his car with the door still wide open. The steering wheel had been changed to resemble the yoke of an aircraft.

“No way!!” An excited laugh left his lips, looking towards the blonde with a bright smile, still in disbelief. “It can _fly_?!”

“Bet yer britches she can!” Cindy placed a hand on her hip as she spoke, returning his smile with a proud one of her own. “An' don't worry about payin' me. I'm just glad I finally got to use that part.”

“Whoa! That's amazing!! I can't thank you enough, Cindy, really.” This was by far one of the best things that has ever happened to him. It was like a child's dream come true. What person didn't want to fly? Excitement was coursing through his veins; he couldn't wait to try it out.

“Don't mention it. Glad I could help ya out.” Blonde curls bounced as she nodded her head. Cindy was far too kind giving him something like this for free, but he greatly appreciated her charity. 

It was time to finally go after that treasure. Coming to Hammerhead had definitely been the right choice but the day had flown by and the sun was beginning to set. If he wanted to see where he was going before it got too dark, he would have to head out now.

Cindy quickly explained how the car would function in terms of taking off and landing before Noctis thanked her once more. He waved goodbye and sat properly in the driver's seat of the altered Star, closing the door. The new steering wheel felt weird in his hands but after some time he would get used to the change. Noctis just hoped he would be able to fly it well enough not to crash. He had never flown a plane, let alone a _car_.

Pulling out of the Hammerhead parking, Noctis drove with increasing speed down the road, his heart beginning to race in his chest and stomach churning with butterflies from a mix of nerves and childlike excitement.

_Here goes nothing._

Tilting the wheel backwards, towards himself, the vehicle began unfolding itself until wings formed at its posterior, lifting from the asphalt road and soaring into the air. Engines protruded from the Star's sides as it continued shifting shape into an intricate aircraft. How Cindy had managed _this_ was beyond him.

“Haha!! This is amazing!!” Noctis laughed ecstatically to himself, his grip tightening on the wheel. It was thrilling and terrifying all at once to be flying.

The view was simply astounding from up in the air. Lucis' landscape laid before him bathed in the sunset's orange glow and he was able to see all the way to Cleigne. A picturesque view if he ever saw one, truly beautiful.

The journey back to Ravatogh was by far much shorter than the drive to Hammerhead had been, arriving at the volcano within an hour as opposed to the handful it had been previously. According to the map, there was a small clearing somewhere just beyond the rocks that had been blocking his way that was just big enough to bring the car in for a landing. The flying vehicle soared over the rocks and Noctis spotted the strip of empty land below him, still visible from the decreasing light of the almost fully-set sun. He had to circle back around to have enough room to safely land the car without crashing into the rock at the other side of the clearing.

The landing was a close call regardless, leaving little room for error as he had to slam on the brakes once the car touched down on the ground to avoid driving head-first into the rock anyways. That obstacle now out of his way, all he had to worry about now was locating the treasure haul the two thieves had talked about. Recalling what the elderly tipster at Verinas Mart had said, there was a ruin around here somewhere; once he found that, the treasure should be close at hand.

Exiting his car, he headed north through the muddy and rocky terrain. All trees in the area, despite the pleasant weather, having not yet reached winter, were mysteriously barren of all leaves. This time of year, most other trees were displaying brightly colored leaves of orange, yellow, or red, yet these trees appeared as if they hadn't grown leaves in many years – standing yet dead. What a depressing place.

Dispatching the several clusters of enemies as he went, Noctis arrived at a path which sloped up a hill in a winding road surrounded by giant rock formations, as if nature itself had formed the route. Following this path, a peculiar stone building came into sight.

Was this the ruins the tipster had mentioned? The building didn't look ancient at all. In fact, it looked fairly modern, all geometric stone shapes and what appeared to be a metal fence surrounding it. A stone staircase led up to an empty platform save for another smaller staircase. At the top of these stairs was a landing. Across an easily crossable gap lay another landing. Noctis backed up a small bit before running towards the gap and effortlessly jumping over to the other side. It didn't seem that there had ever once been anything connecting the two sides, which was curious. Why would the architects leave a gap there? What a strange place.

Rounding the corner, he followed the corridor to an open area a little further ahead. In the corner was an object. Noctis walked over to it and picked up the item, turning it in his hand as he examined it. Was this the 'big haul' the two men had mentioned? Now that he had it in his grasp, he had to admit, it was very lacklustre in comparison to what he was imagining. Noctis had been expecting a chest of valuable items like something out of a video game, but unfortunately that hadn't been the case. The prince couldn't help but feel disappointed, slouching forward with a hung head. “Some treasure...” He muttered.

The sun was now long gone and Noctis was feeling less than satisfied with his venture.

_All that for **nothing**._

Observing his surroundings once more in hopes of finding something more of value, azure eyes landed on a break in the metal fence nearby, leading to an area beyond, a strange glowing symbol he had not noticed before on a metal plate on the wall opposite of him.

Curiosity appeared on the royal's face as he crossed through the fence, approaching the metal plate. The area was seemingly a dead end; or that was what he thought, until he hand pressed against the glowing symbol and the wall behind it began to slide away, revealing a staircase beyond, leading upwards.

“What the...” The stunned prince began, watching the wall retreat sideways and stop once the path ahead lay completely unobstructed. A secret doorway.

_Oh hell yeah, this is what I'm talking about!! Secret doors and hidden passageways: treasure, here I come._

Said staircase was completely lightless, only the dim light of the moon illuminating the first few steps. He'd have to be careful ascending them. Noctis stepped onto the staircase, keeping one hand on the cold stone wall at the side of the steps and the other held out in front of him so that he didn't walk face-first into a wall. Step by step, he made his way up the dark stone staircase. About twenty or so steps upwards he heard the wall at the bottom of the stairs sliding shut once more, leaving him in total darkness.

 _Great, there goes my way out_.

He had no choice now but to continue onwards and hope he would find another exit from this mysterious building.

The stairs seemed endless, having no doubt been climbing them for several minutes. How tall was this place? Only after a while did Noctis notice the stairs were not simply going up in a straight line, but in a spiral. He was in a tower of some sort. But a tower without windows? Whatever this place was, he just wanted to reach the end. Hopefully it lead out to somewhere with plenty of valuable items. That would be nice after all he had gone through just to get there. 

Noctis flinched as the hand extended out in front of him finally made contact with something, only to realize it was just another wall. An annoyed groan left his lips at this discovery, dropping his hand back to his side. What the hell kind of place was this?! Why have a staircase that leads to a dead end?! What was the point?! The prince threw his head back with a sigh, closing his eyes. 

_Guess I better start heading back down the stairs and try to open that door again._

However, when his eyes opened once more, he noticed a rectangular outline of light above his head. Was that why it had become a little easier to see as he reached the top? He had thought his eyes had simply adjusted to the darkness but it appeared that hadn't been the case, much to his delight. Maybe that door was his way to more treasure or a way out. He hadn't realized before how low the ceiling was: only a few inches above his head.

Noctis reached above himself, testing a push against the rectangle of light over him, which gave easily, lifting upwards and revealing itself to be a trap door. Thank the Six it wasn't locked. Pushing the trap door full open, Noctis gripped the edges of the opening and jumped, hoisting himself out of the dark staircase and into a candlelit room that didn't match the building at all. Unlike the angular modernistic exterior, the room was quite homely and inviting.

The prince closed the trap door behind himself and stood from his place on the carpeted floor. Carpet? That was odd. It seemed a corner of the carpet was folded back from where the trap door was positioned in the floor. Someone had been hiding it. Noctis bent down, moving the carpet back into place over the trap door before standing upright once more and taking a proper look at his surroundings.

From what he could tell, he was in a living area of some sort. A fireplace lay in one wall, wood and ashes still within it. Around the room were several bookcases, every shelf housing a plethora of books. A desk was nestled into a corner of the room, a book still laying open on it's surface as if someone were in the middle of reading it. On the far side of the room was an archway that appeared to lead into what seemed like a small kitchen, and beside it a staircase that lead upwards to a hallway, which he assumed to house more rooms. All around the room were an abundance of photographs, framed and displayed on various surfaces and along the walls.

Nothing about this room said 'ruins' to him. A little dated maybe but definitely not ancient. There wasn't a spec of dust anywhere. It seemed the room was well-maintained. _Someone was definitely still living here_ , and he didn't want to stick around long enough for whoever was to find him trespassing in their home. It would be best if he left. Robbing someone's home was a little below him.

Noctis turned to open the the trap door through which he entered and instead found himself coming face-first with a frying pan which caused him to see stars and collapse heavily to the ground in a slump. He could see a stranger's bare feet standing in front of him before his vision went dark, falling into unconsciousness on the carpeted floor.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regardless if anyone reads this or not, I plan to continue it, because I enjoy it a lot. That being said, it will take some time to put out each new chapter with the length I want to stay around for each chapter.  
> This chapter was a lot of set-up and introduction stuff, but things will pick up more in the next chapter. Regardless, I hope you liked it.
> 
> PS: See those characters in the tags? Just because they're not in the first chapter doesn't mean they won't be involved in the story later on. Be patient.
> 
> That said, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!!
> 
> MORE TO COME


	2. Hidden Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so blown away with the amount of kudos and people who read the first chapter!! Thanks so much to all of you for reading and I am so glad that you like the story so far!!
> 
> I apologize for the extreme delay in putting up the second chapter. Life has been extremely hectic and although I already had half of it written out months ago, I only recently had time to finish writing it. So thank you so much for your patience and enjoy!! ♥ ♥ ♥

 

* * *

 

 

 

“You what?” Ardyn asked with a raised brow, looking down at the blonde boy he had been keeping watch over for the past twenty years – not that twenty years was that long in the grand scheme of his life. Simply the blink of an eye. It still seemed like just last night he had stolen the newborn babe out of Gralea and hid the boy away from the world. The boy in question was a 'boy' no longer however, nearing his twentieth birthday and having become a pleasant – albeit quite annoying at times, at least to Ardyn – young man. Ah, how time flies.

Prompto gnawed at his bottom lip anxiously, keeping his eyes glued to his feet. In all his life, this topic never went over well, him having never left the tower he called home being a testament to that fact. What scared him most about the confrontation was how calm and collected his father remained while still being incredibly intimidating.

“I...I want to go outside,” the nervous blonde mumbled, proceeding to tug nervously at the hem of his shirt. “I know you told me to never leave home but...it's almost my birthday and I'm turning twenty. The big two-zero, you know? That's like...two decades; kind of an adult now. So I thought it would be okay if I could go out for once...” His throat felt drier and drier with every rambled word that left his mouth. He was never good at persuading the wine-haired man for anything, but astrals-be-damned he was going to try. “ _Please_ dad? Just this one time? For my birthday?”

The elder man shook his head with a dramatic sigh. “Must we go through this every single year, child? I thought I made myself clear that you mustn’t leave this quaint little home of ours under any circumstances.” With a sweep of his arms, Ardyn gestured around them to the living room they were currently situated in for added emphasis. “The outside world is a dangerous place, not a playground for an ignorant child. Especially not one with unique abilities, such as yourself. Others will exploit your gifts and manipulate you, but here you are safe, out of the prying eyes of those who would seek to hurt and use you.” Taking a step closer to the now pouting blonde, he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, which had blue eyes gazing up towards him sadly. “Have I ever been wrong thus far?”

With a sigh, Prompto shook his head, styled blonde hair bouncing from the motion. “No...But maybe this time--”

“Prompto,” the man interjected in a stern tone, one that did not seem open to debate.

“ _Please_ , just hear me out! I wouldn't go alone, you could come with me and we could--” His words caught in his throat at the piercing glare aimed at him from his father, sending a chill down his spine. Ardyn's grip on his shoulder was bordering now on painful. He knew he had stepped too far. When his father said 'enough was enough' he meant it, and was not one to be trifled with, lest he wanted to be punished accordingly.

“I...” His voice trembled as his gaze dropped once more to the ground, “I just wanted to go see the fireworks...”

“Hm.” Ardyn simply hummed shortly in response to the quiet statement, his grip on the short blonde's shoulder slackening. “What fireworks, boy?”

The question caught Prompto completely off guard, whatever small hopes he had still been clinging to feebly rising marginally once more. His father was interested in the fireworks? Maybe he still had a chance. A small fragile smile spread across the blonde's lips as he looked upwards towards his father hopefully. “The fireworks on my birthday! You haven't seen them?”

Looking around for a moment, Prompto hurried over to the stairs at the far side of the room, reaching the third step before pausing and putting out a hand to the wine-haired man, “Wait here for a sec.”

In response, he received one raised brow and crossed arms from Ardyn. Taking this as confirmation that he would wait, Prompto continued up the stairs to his bedroom, opening the door and going over to his bed. He dropped onto his knees at the side of his bed and reached one hand underneath it to retrieve a small box, dusting off the lid with his other hand. Box in hand, he hurried out of his room back to Ardyn waiting in the living room, nearly tripping on his way down the stairs, earning a 'tsk' from his father.

“Ah, here.” Prompto smiled as he opened the box, revealing it to be filled with nothing other than photographs. The blonde removed a few from the box and tucked it under his arm as he stood by Ardyn's side to show him the photos. Every photo in his hand was of a night sky with a distant bursts of colors and shapes: fireworks.

“See? It's the fireworks! Every year I see them from my bedroom window, and they only ever happen on my birthday. I think there might be some sort of celebration or something. But...it makes me happy every year seeing them...like they're meant for me.” The smile on his lips grew a little wider affectionately as he spoke. “I just want to go see them, dad. Not just from my window or through my camera, in person, up-close. That's all I want.”

The elder man plucked one of the photographs from the blonde's hands and tossed it into the crackling fireplace, setting it aflame. Prompto squeaked in equal parts shock and hurt that his father had so remorselessly thrown his precious photo in the fire without any hesitation, blue eyes wide in disbelief. “Apparently I haven't made myself clear enough to you. You are not leaving this tower, for fireworks or any other such trivial foolishness. I am not to hear you mention going outside again, or I will make it so that you have no windows to look out of, do I make myself clear?”

Staring at the man with no lack of blatant horror, Prompto's eyes began to sting with the threat of tears. Turning his face away from the taller, he willed himself not to cry in front of the man who just trampled over his dreams, his own _father_. Were all parents so heartless? “Crystal.” He muttered through gritted teeth, his voice betraying him with the crack at the end of the word.

Ardyn let out a small sigh once more, walking back over to Prompto and putting a hand under his chin. “Come now, Prompto. Grown men do not cry so easily. I am simply trying to protect you. It may seem harsh, but perhaps when you are older you will understand. Sometimes a parent has to play 'the bad guy'.”

Allowing himself a little sniffle, Prompto turned his head back towards his father, looking up at him with glossy narrowed eyes. “You didn't have to throw my picture in the fire.” He retorted with a frown.

“Would you have listened to me otherwise? Sometimes being drastic is a necessity to make stubborn children compliant.”

“It was still a bit much.” He pointedly held his box of photographs a little tighter and further away from Ardyn, lest he attempt to throw the entire box in the fireplace as well.

“No need to fret, I am not going to take the rest of your photographs from you, but I do hope I've made my position on the matter clear and we will discuss this no further.”

Dejected, Prompto nodded his head obediently.

“With that settled, I have business to attend to, dear boy.” Ardyn patted Prompto's cheek lightly, his voice taking on a gentler tone. “Perhaps later we can discuss another way to celebrate your birthday. As I recall, you were keen on getting a new camera.” He gave the blonde male a small smile in an attempt to lift his spirits; having to deal with the drama of a moody youth was hardly what he wanted to put up with for the foreseeable future. The boy was much more tolerable when in a good mood.

Prompto gave the wine-haired man a small smile, nodding his head once more, a little pleasantly surprised that his father had actually remembered him wanting a new camera. “Sounds good to me. Thanks, dad.”

Despite their occasional disagreements and resulting arguments, Prompto never once hated his father. The man was the only family and the only company he had, and he cared for him deeply. When he was a child he had once asked where his mother was and was told that his mother had died upon his birth, which saddened him a little, having never gotten a chance to know his mother before she was gone. But he still had his father, who could be a little ruthless at times, but took care of him all his life: feeding, clothing, and teaching him.

With their little argument now resolved, Ardyn took his leave. Somehow he was able to disappear and reappear before the blonde's very eyes and he never understood how his father did it. He had heard of magic before in the many books his father kept in their small home, but it still amazed him to think that the man was able to seemingly teleport.

Now left alone, Prompto retreated to his bedroom, box of photos in hand. Of all the photos his father had to burn, it had been one of his favorites: a firework in the shape of a chocobo. Ever since he was a child, he had always loved the golden birds, having seen pictures of them in books many times. If he ever got to meet one, it would be by far the best day of his entire life. Ardyn had protested to his requests for a pet on several occasions and there was no way one of the large birds would be able to live in the tower with him; it would be cruel to keep it locked away indoors instead of running free in fields. He sighed longingly, flopping onto his bed on his back. Maybe one day his father would have a change of heart.

It was incredibly lonely, cooped up all day every day, especially when Ardyn was absent. His father could be very talkative which was nice, but without him there was very little to do. Prompto had kept himself occupied most days by snapping pictures of the little bit of scenery outside of his window or around their home, cleaning, or attempting to read one of the many books lining the shelves in the den. Most of them were very large and old history books, mostly mentioning a place called 'Solheim'. Only the few books about animals and photography held any interest for him – books Ardyn had purchased on his account. The shelves were devoid of any form of fiction, the elder man deeming them to be 'mind-numbing nonsense', much to Prompto's chagrin. Non-fiction books were extremely boring and he frankly had no interest in them.

_What's mind-numbing is being stuck in here all day with nothing to do..._

Prompto flipped onto his stomach, opening the box and taking out a few of the photos, spreading them out on the bed to admire them. The fireworks. He sighed, resting his chin on his arms, staring sadly down at the colorful small blotches amidst dark sky. Warm sun streamed in through his window, bathing him in it's glow on his bed. “Mm..” He moaned softly, grateful for the warmth seeping into his skin – a welcome change from the cold that seemed to emanate from the stone walls throughout their home. Prompto didn't even notice as his eyes slowly closed and he drifted into a peaceful nap, the argument from earlier having drained him of energy.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hours later, Prompto awoke in his moonlit bedroom to the grumbling of his stomach. Blinking a few times, he propped himself up on his elbows and looked around his room in slight confusion.

_Nighttime? When did I fall asleep?_

Looking down at his bed, he discovered the photographs were still splayed out. Prompto sat up, collecting the photos in his hands and returning them to their box, safely placing it underneath his bed once more. Letting out a long yawn, he stretched his arms over his head and chuckled as his stomach let out another growl, reminding him of his need to eat.

_Okay, time to raid the kitchen. I'm starving._

That tended to happen when you haven't eaten since breakfast and fall asleep all day.

Hopping off his bed, he proceeded towards the kitchen to feed himself. Upon seeing the dark empty living area, he figured Ardyn had yet to return home – not an odd occurrence given that the man would sometimes take off for days at a time. The blonde made his way down the staircase over to the desk in the corner, opening one of the drawers and removing a box of matches. He struck one of the matches on the side of the box. “Illuminate!” Once the match was lit, he proceeded to light some of the candles around the room. It would help if he could see where he was going. The lack of electricity here was one of the things Prompto hated the most. The rest of the world was benefiting from wonderful things like heating and actual working lighting, on top of television, and here he was stuck in the 18th century. He had tried convincing Ardyn to move to a place with electricity but that had gone just about as well as his argument to go see the fireworks. The man was perhaps a little bit _too_ old-fashioned.

With all the candles lit, Prompto made his way into the kitchen to finally tend to his demanding stomach. At least they had a gas-stove that he cooked many meals for himself with. His father never seemed to be hungry or eat – at least that Prompto has seen. Maybe he always ate when he was out and that was why he was never hungry when he came home? Prompto had taken up cooking for himself at a rather early age given that Ardyn was not particularly skilled in the culinary field, often making simple cupped noodles and other such meals that required little to no preparation on his part. The young boy had grown tired of the same meals over and over and took to learning on his own how to cook with the help of a cookbook his father had purchased at his request.

Opening the pantry, Prompto searched for ingredients to make a quick small meal.

_Hm...daggerquill breast, saxham rice, and Leiden pepper. Rice it is._

Removing the ingredients, Prompto set them on the counter. Next he opened a cabinet to search for a pot and pan, finding a frying pan and putting it down on the stove-top when he heard shuffling coming from the other room. Was his father finally home? Maybe he brought the new camera he was talking about earlier? That or the biggest rat ever had somehow got in. Prompto closed the cabinet and moved towards the archway of the kitchen entrance, peeking around it into the dimly-lit den.

His stomach lurched at the discovery of not a large rat or the wine-haired man he called father in the room, but a mysterious dark-haired young man. Sucking in a shocked breath through his nose, Prompto withdrew from the archway, hiding himself behind the wall out of the intruder's view. In the past twenty years, no one had ever found their home before let alone broken in. The frying pan caught Prompto's eye and he chanced a quick glance around the corner once more to make sure the stranger was facing away before lunging forward to retrieve the pan from it's place atop the stove, holding it close to his chest and hiding once more behind the wall out of sight.

They already had so little, other than books, and if this guy was a burglar, he was going to get a rude awakening. This Blondie wasn't about to let his home get ransacked. Casting a glance down at the frying pan in his grip, Prompto smirked.

_This guy picked the wrong house to bust into._

It was fortuitous that he was currently barefoot. That would make it easier to silently sneak up on the dark-haired intruder. It seemed the intruder was too busy casing the place to notice the blonde silently closing in behind him, frying pan in hand. Prompto managed to sneak behind the man without detection and raised the frying pan, poised to knock out the guy. He hadn't expected the stranger to suddenly turn around mid-swing and yelped in surprise as the man's face collided with the cast-iron pan. “Eep!”

There was a loud thud as the intruder collapsed at the blonde's feet, unconscious, and Prompto was left standing there frozen, in equal parts concern and pride. He just single-handedly defended himself against some burglar in nothing but his pyjamas with a frying pan. It honestly felt pretty good.

A little laugh left Prompto's lips, allowing some of the tenseness to ease from his shoulders. “Ha! Haha! Take that!!” Puffing out his chest a little, he basked in the confidence the small victory over the intruder brought him. “Too dangerous out there, huh, dad? Well,” he chuckled, sticking his finger through the hole in the handle of the pan meant for hanging it, spinning it around his finger, “tell that to my frying pan--” The iron pan collided with the side of his head, causing him to break off mid-sentence and wince in pain. “Ow...” Good thing the only other person in there with him was unconscious or that would have been really embarrassing. Prompto rubbed the spot on his head where the pan hit him, feeling the bump forming under his fingers. He supposed that's what he got for being silly.

Now there was the issue of what to do with the guy laying on his carpet. Bending down, Prompto put down the pan on the ground and rolled the stranger over onto his back. Hopefully the guy wasn't dead – he only wanted to knock him out, not kill him. Even in self-defence, murder would be too much for his consciousness to handle.

With one hand he brushed the dark hair out of the guy's face and almost gasped. The unconscious boy looked to be about the same age as himself, and unfairly handsome. What was a guy like this doing breaking into peoples' homes? He could easily be a model.

“Oof..” Prompto exclaimed upon seeing the intruder's reddened forehead and bleeding nose. He felt a little sorry for the guy; getting smacked in the face with a frying pan had to hurt a lot. “Sorry, dude, but you broke into my house.”

_Better check if he's still breathing._

Hovering a hand under the mysterious man's nose, he could feel the others warm breath against his hand. Phew, at least he was still alive.

_I should move him before dad gets home._

Prompto may have been kind and merciful but his father on the other hand...the intruder would be lucky to escape with his life if his father found him.

He slid his arms under the unconscious man's armpits, standing and hauling him over to the stairs. The safest place to hide him for now would be Prompto's bedroom. Ardyn rarely went in there, usually only knocking and standing in the doorway. He had never really been the affectionate type of parent. He never read Prompto and bedtime stories growing up or tucked him into bed, only the necessities such as dressing, feeding, bathing, and potty-training him until he was old enough to do those things himself.

Getting the man up the stairs was a bit of a struggle. Prompto's arms ached heaving the other guy's weight around, panting with effort. Exercise and especially weight-lifting was not something Prompto did often. He had taken to doing a couple sit-ups and jumping jacks in the mornings but that was the extent of it. There wasn't exactly any electricity for a treadmill or room for exercise equipment either.

Once at the top of the stairs, Prompto took a moment to catch his breath. Who knew dragging someone was this tiring?

After a moment or two, he resumed pulling the stranger to his bedroom and letting him fall against the carpeted floor. Maybe he should find something to tie his hands with in case the guy turned out to be hostile. Looking around his room briefly, Prompto rummaged through the desk in his room for something he could use to restrain the unconscious man. There was a belt that was tucked away in a drawer alongside his socks and underwear – that would have to do. Taking the belt, he rolled the man onto his stomach and sloppily tied his hands behind his back, turning him over once more to lay on his back, on top of his bound hands. Maybe he should do something about his mouth too, in case he screamed or something and Ardyn heard him. Taking a t-shirt from his dresser, he did his best to tie it around the raven-haired boy's mouth as a makeshift gag. There, that was as good as he could do. All that was left was to hide him; he couldn't just leave a tied up stranger laying on the floor in the center of his room. With a groan of effort, Prompto rolled his uninvited guest under his bed and let the sheets on his bed fall to hide him. Unless his father took to actively snooping around his room, the guy under his bed should be hidden well enough to avoid suspicion.

“Prompto?” Came the familiar voice of his father from the living area. Thank whatever higher power had prevented the man from returning home any earlier. He would have to wait until later when his captive was awake to question him.

Rushing from his bedroom, and making sure to close the door behind him, he hurried down the hall to the top of the staircase, looking down at his father. “Yeah, dad?”

With a raised brow, Ardyn pointed a finger questioningly towards the discarded frying pan laying on the carpet. “Pans go in the kitchen, not on the floor.”

“Oh! Sorry!” Prompto rushed down the stairs over to the wine-haired man and picked up the pan in question with a little laugh. “I was in the middle of making dinner and there was this huge rat that scared me so I ended up chasing it and smacking it with the frying pan. I guess I should wash it...I hit it pretty hard. See? There's some uh...b..blood.” He pointed towards the small amount of blood staining the carpet, that had come from the unconscious intruder's bleeding nose. He shuddered for added effect, “Gross, right?”

“And you left the pan here on the floor?”

“Well I ended up killing it with that hit, so I threw it out of the window in my room. I didn't really want to leave a dead rat lying around.”

“I see,” Ardyn replied, reaching out his hand to ruffle Prompto's blonde hair. “You always were easily distracted.”

Prompto held back a sigh of relief that his poor lie had actually worked, laughing awkwardly at his father's words. “Y-yeah, sorry. I'll wash the pan now.” He bent down and retrieved the pan, taking it into the kitchen to be washed. At least they had running water and plumbing, even if the water was always cold. Turning on the faucet, he began to clean the pan.

“I was thinking about what you were saying earlier and I really think the new camera would be a great present for my birthday,” Prompto called from the kitchen.

“Is that so? Well, I'm glad we could come to an agreement. I do hate when you are in a bad mood, particularly on my account,” Ardyn stated as he removed his hat, setting it on the coat rack by the staircase and sitting in an armchair by the fireplace.

Of course the young blonde still wanted to see the fireworks, but that was an argument he had absolutely no intention of reviving right now. It would be best to just play along for now. “Yeah, I'm sorry about that. The camera's a way better present.” Putting the now cleaned frying pan back in it's place, Prompto joined his father in front of the fireplace. “So, I was thinking...maybe the LOKTON LX-X1R?”

The wine-haired man looked up at the young man before him with a raised brow. “That is a very expensive camera, Prompto. It is also very hard to come by around here. I will have to go quite far in order to acquire it for you. Such a venture could take a couple days.”

“Pleaassse?” Prompto begged with his best well-practised puppy dog eyes and pout. The cute expression hardly – well, to be honest, never – worked on his father but it was worth a shot anyways. “I promise I won't ask for anything ever again! I really want it! Pleaaasse? For my birthday?”

Ardyn sighed and put a hand to his forehead in exasperation. “Very well. I will hold you to that promise. I had best not hear demands like this again come next year.”

A bright smile spread across Prompto's face and he nodded enthusiastically. “You got it, dad!”

 _Perfect._ Things were finally going according to plan. Of course he knew the camera was difficult to find – that was why he specifically asked for that model. With his father gone, he wouldn't have to worry about him discovering the man he currently had tied up under his bed, and he would be able to figure out a way to see the fireworks himself, behind his father's back. Every child rebelled against their parents once in their life, right? What the older man didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

Standing from his seat in the armchair, Ardyn sighed once more, dramatically. “Ah, what parents go through for their children. I hope you appreciate all I do for you, young man.”

“I do! You're the best dad there ever was!” Prompto added with a thumbs up for emphasis. A hug was a bit too much to go for, considering his father was never a very affectionate man. Prompto assumed his happy-go-lucky personality must have come from his mother. How a woman like that could get with a man like his father, he never understood. Opposites must really attract.

Ardyn waved his hand with a crooked smile in response to the blonde's flattery, making his way over to the coat rack in the corner of the room to retrieve his coat and hat. “If I am to get your gift before your birthday is long past, I must leave now.” After shrugging on his coat, he placed the black hat upon his head of dark red hair. “Will you be alright on your lonesome? I dread to come home and discover something unfortunate has happened to you.”

Prompto rolled his eyes at the man's antics.

 _What a drama king_.

He was no stranger to being left on his own. Prompto had learned very quickly to fend for himself by learning how to cook and cleaning up after himself – hell, apparently he was even able to deal with robbers well.

“I'll be fine. I've been alone for longer than a couple days before; I think I can handle it.” The blonde said with a smile, giving his father a playful smack on his shoulder.

“Very well,” the older man replied, taking out what looked like some sort of device with a button on it from his pocket. “I will return in a matter of days with your present. Take care, my flower.”

Prompto's freckled cheeks flushed bright red at the embarrassing nickname his father had given him. 'My _flower_ '.

_That's so embarrassing! Who calls their son a flower? That's so girly!_

“Ugh, don't call me that...it's weird...” the blonde complained with crimson cheeks, crossing his arms and shifting his weight from foot to foot awkwardly.

“I'll call you whatever I please. I had to take care of you all these years.” Clicking the button device in his hand, Ardyn turned and began to walk away. “Farewell, sunflower.”

Prompto watched as his father disappeared into thin air and waited a few moments before dashing to his bedroom to check on his captive uninvited guest. Once inside his room, Prompto closed his door behind him, leaning with his back against it as he gazed towards his bed. The room was silent and nothing looked out of place. Cautiously, the freckled boy approached his bed and knelt down beside it, peeking underneath to see the mysterious dark-haired stranger still unconscious and bound.

_Phew. It's a good thing he didn't wake up while dad was here. But what to do with you now..._

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Ugh,” Noctis groaned. It felt like a chocobo trampled his face, and his head was spinning. What was that on his face? It felt gross, some sort of dried and now crusting liquid covering the bottom half of his face from his nose down. Blood? A nose-bleed?

_What happened?_

Royal blue eyes fluttered open and squinted in the dimly-lit room.

_Where am I...? Wait..._

This was the same room he found in the mysterious tower. Why was he still here? Better yet, why was he tied up?! Noctis looked down at himself, seated upon a wooden chair with his arms bound behind him and his legs tied to the legs of the chair with some sort of cloth.

In an attempt to free himself, Noctis tried to pull his hands out of their restraints to no avail. “Goddammit!” He hissed under his breath.

“St...Struggling is pointless!” Came a high-pitched male voice from directly behind him, causing his back to go rigid and his body to stiffen. How long were they standing behind him??

“Look, this is all a misunderstanding,” Noctis stated calmly, “I didn't know anyone was living up here. I'm not going to hurt you or rob you, so just...untie me??” He turned his head in an attempt to look at his captor and came face-to-face with a frying pan once again, however, the hit wasn't nearly as hard as the last and didn't render him unconscious; it was simply a little bonk against his already aching and sore forehead.

“Agh!! A frying pan?! Really?!” Noctis groaned with complaint. His poor forehead was throbbing with pain. No doubt he had a wicked bump or bruise forming on his forehead.

“Sh-shut up!! I...I don't know who you are, or how you found me, but if you want to get out of here, then.....I need your help with something.” The unknown voice said timidly.

Noctis furrowed his brows in confusion. Why would he help this stranger? Especially one who bashed him in the face and tied him to a chair. He could always agree to help him just to escape and then drive the Star back to Lestallum. “What..? Why on Eos would I help you?”

The prince's unknown captor walked around the chair to face him, revealing himself to be a slender young man with styled blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles along his youthful face. He couldn't be much older than Noctis himself and seemed fairly skittish. If it wasn't for his aching head and the dried blood from his nose, he would have even thought the blonde to be completely harmless, maybe even friendly. He was even sort of...cute.

Noctis cleared his throat awkwardly, having caught himself staring perhaps a bit too intently at the attractive stranger, and averting his gaze.

“Because if you don't help me, I won't give this back to you.” The freckled blonde held out his free hand, revealing a dark metal ring in his open palm. The Ring of Lucii.

Azure eyes narrowed upwards at his captor. Besides the Star of Lucis, Noctis had very little personal belongings he treasured, and none as important as the ring currently in the blondes hand. Though it came with great power, such power was not necessary with the peace between the four kingdoms, and so it had become more of an heirloom of Lucian royalty, passed on from King to King. Noctis had received it from his father on his 20th birthday, along with his car, and it held sentimental value to him. It was like carrying a piece of his father with him. In no way was he going to allow this guy to keep it.

“What do you want?” The raven-haired prince asked through gritted teeth.

The blonde gave him an apologetic smile, clearly feeling a little guilty for bribing his captive for his personal gain, before putting down the frying pan and removing a photograph from his pocket, adjusting his expression to a determined, serious facade. “This.” He held out the photograph for Noctis to see, revealing it to be a photograph of a night sky and what appeared to be fireworks far off in the distance. “I want to go where these fireworks came from. They only happen on October 25th and every year I can see them from my window. But, I want to see them up close. So you'll take me to see them, bring me home, and then – and only then – will I give you back your ring. That's my deal.”

The prince raised an eyebrow at the unusual request. Fireworks? Of all the things he could have asked for, he just wanted to see some fireworks? That would be easy, except that those fireworks could have only gone off in one of four places, and only one of them was close enough to have seen them from here. Insomnia. The very place Noctis had run away from and was avoiding returning to.

“Yeahhh, no can do. There's fireworks in Lestallum for the Assassin's Festival. I can take you there, but I'm not taking you to Insomnia.”

“Insomnia?” Prompto mused for a moment in innocent fascination. Was that the name of the place the fireworks came from? “Fine. Then you're never getting your ring back.” The freckled boy walked off to an area behind the bound prince, taking the ring with him. From behind him, Noctis could hear shuffling but couldn't make out what the other was doing in the dark. “What are you doing?! Give me my ring, you thief!”

A short laugh left the blonde's lips as the shuffling noises continued. “Hah, that's rich coming from the guy who broke into my house.” Once the noises ceased, the blonde returned, standing once more in front of the prince with a small smirk and hands on his hips. “There, I've hidden your precious ring – somewhere you'll never find it. If you ever want it back, you'll bring me to see the fireworks.”

Noctis let out an aggravated sigh from his less than desirable situation. “So let me get this straight. I take you to see the fireworks, bring you back home, and you'll give me my ring back?”

“That's right!” The blonde agreed enthusiastically with a smile, hoping his bargain would go according to plan.

The prince smirked, leaning back against the uncomfortable wooden chair. “And what's to stop me from taking it by force?”

His captor frowned, crossing his arms. “Like I said: I hid it somewhere you'll never find it. So without me, you'll _never_ get it back, even if you tore this whole place apart.”

Noctis regarded him with narrowed eyes for a few long moments before letting out a defeated sigh. “Fine, I'll take you to see the fireworks.”

“Really?!” The blonde exclaimed cheerily, in equal parts excitement and disbelief. “Sweet!! I'll go get my camera!!” He turned to run off towards his bedroom.

“Wait! Hey!! Blondie!! A little help here?!” Noctis called, struggling against his bonds for emphasis.

The freckled boy paused mid-way into his run, turning back towards the prince. “Oh, right!” He had gotten so caught up in his excitement that he almost forgot his guide was still strapped to a wooden chair with a belt and shirts.

Releasing the raven-haired boy from his restraints, he corrected him: “Prompto.”

“What?” Noctis replied, leaning forward on the chair to rub at his wrists.

“Prompto. My name's Prompto.”

“Right...I'm...Noct. Noct Gar.”

Prompto gave Noctis a bright, friendly smile, holding out his hand to shake the princes. “Nice to meet you, Noct!”

“Sure...” Noctis took the others hand in his own, giving it a brief shake. While it wasn't exactly a ' _nice_ ' meeting getting smacked in the face with a frying pan and held captive, he decided to play nice with this guy until he got his ring back. The sooner he got this over with the better. “Nice to meet you, Prompto.”

 

 

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins!! I know it's been a lot of set-up but things are finally beginning to take off. Thanks so much for bearing with me for taking so long to get this out, and I hope you're enjoying it so far!!
> 
> I'll try to get out chapters sooner - maybe once a month from here on.
> 
> Thanks for reading!! MORE TO COME


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